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Supreme Court Decision, McDonald v. Chicago, Step in the Wrong Direction

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Chicago's ban on handguns under the charge that it violates the Second Amendment is a step in the wrong direction. This terrible ruling comes after the Chicago Tribune reported 28 people were shot over the weekend, resulting in three deaths, and 60 people were shot the previous weekend.

The argument that permitting residents to legally own guns will make their homes safer is a weak one. Facts suggest a gun in the home is 4 times more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, 7 times more likely to be used to commit a criminal assault or homicide, and 11 times more likely to be used to attempt or commit suicide than to be used in self-defense.

Parks, schools, churches and community gatherings will be less safe because of this ruling. Removing the ban will expand the flow of legal and illegal guns and opens the door for gun shops to establish themselves in our neighborhoods.

Nationally, 30,000 people are killed and 100,000 injured by gun violence each year, giving the United States one of the highest rates of gun violence in the world. By comparison, 4,300 U.S. troops have been killed in the war in Iraq.

The violence within our cities, especially in the poorest communities, deserves the attention of our nation’s leaders and to be acknowledged as a state of emergency. We must declare war on gun violence and on drugs and surgically remove these cancers from our communities. We must bring the full weight of law enforcement to bear on the problem and provide funding for companion efforts such as job training, education and community development. Almost all youths who kill or get killed are unemployed and undereducated.

Laying off teachers, closing schools, proposing shorter school days, reducing public transportation, laying off transit workers and raising fees for public transportation and public parking will only aggravate the crisis of violence in the city. The basic issues in the zones of pain are not being addressed. Neighborhoods facing high crime and violence are also facing record home foreclosure rates and student loan defaults.

Authorities should declare a state of emergency In Chicago. At the same time, there should be a collective move to seek a legislative crackdown on the flow of guns and drugs into communities with a commitment to ban semi-automatic weapons and outlaw gun shops in urban areas where they can fuel the ongoing violence.

The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization protecting, defending and expanding civil rights to improve economic and educational opportunity. The organization is headquartered at 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago. For more information about the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, please visit http://www.rainbowpush.org or call (773) 373-3366.

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